Walking-beam attachment.



P. W. MASTEN.

WALKING BEAM ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, I914.

Patented July 11, 1916.

TTT w Z PHILO W. MASTEN', 015 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

WALKING-BEAM ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, 1916.

Application filed April 6, 1914. Serial No. 830,081.

' Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented a new and useful Walking-Beam Attachment, of whlch the following is a specification.

The invention relates to mechanism for pumping oil wells. In the common form of such construction used throughout the world a wooden walking beam is centrally-pivoted, being operated from one end by means of a crank through a connecting rod, and being connected at the other end to the pump rods which extend down into the well and actuate the pump therein. In the common forms of construction the upper end of the tubing through which the oil is pumped is provided with a stuiiing box through which a rod, commonly called a polish rod, passes, this rod being of uniform diameter so that the stufling box makes a tight closure therearound. The connection to the walking beam proper is commonly simply a hinged one and as the walking beam travels in the arc of a circle it is necessary for the polish rod to bend as the hinged point is only directly in the axis of the tubing at the central point of its stroke. This bending of the polish rod and the consequent side strams therein result in considerable wear on the rod and stuffing box and in the crystallization of the rod itself. As the breaking of a polish rod is a serious accident in a well any means whereby these side strains on the polish rod may be relieved is very desirable.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a connection to the walking beam whereby the pull of this beam 1s always exerted on a line passing through the axis of the tubing, thus doing away with side strains, wearing and crystallization in the polish rod.

Operators in the tremely conservative, of pumping rig has been developed long period of years and is a firmly estab lished standard. There are, moreover,'thousands of wells throughout the world employing this form of construction, and it is extremely desirable that any form of construction which may be used be especially adapted to go on the present forms of construction. Y

A further object of the invention is to provide means for accomplishing the principal oil industry are exand the present form over a object which may be attached to the present walking beams without change therein and which is readily interchangeable with the present forms of standard connection.

Further objects and advantages will be evident hereinafter.

In the drawing, which is for illustrative purposes only: Figure 1 is a partial elevation of an oil well equipped with the invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the end of the walking beam with the invention applied thereto. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the walking beam with the invention applied thereto, a portion being shown in section on the plane w .r of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the walking beam with the invention applied thereto. Fig. 5 is a partial section on the line w -00 of Fig. 2.

Figure 1 illustrates the invention applied to the construction which is commonly employed in pumping oil wells throughout the world. A walking beam 1 is pivoted at 2 and is driven from a crank 3 by means of a connecting-rod 4. The outer end 5 of the walking beam 1 therefore moves up and down in the directions indicated by the arrows. A polish rod 6 extends through a stuflingbox 7 on the end of a tubing 8. The walking beam 1 is commonly provided with a narrow slot 9 centrally located and extending back a considerable distance therein. In the present invention a casting 10 is provided which has a throat portion 11 sufliciently narrow to pass readily into the slot 9, the casting 10 having a rope groove 12, the bottom of which is on a radius centering at the pivot 2. Ears 13 are provided which extend out from thebeam 1 and are provided with holes through which bolts 14 pass on either side of the beam 1. A rib 15 is provided which extends back and connects the ears 13 with the body of the casting 10. A similar rib 16 is provided below the beam 1v which extends out and helps support a foot 17 An opening 18 is provided in the foot 17 and a bar 19 passes the'rethrough, holes being provided for thebolts 1 1. The casting 10 is therefore secured to the beam 1 by means of the bolts 14 and the clamping action of the bar 19 against the bottom of the beam, the casting 10 being prevented from turning by the fact that the foot 17 hooks over the bar 19 and is in tight engagement therewith. A section of wire rope 20 is placed in the groove 12 and is secured around a circular portion 21 in the upper end of the member 10 and passes through an opening 22 in the end thereof, being secured by a wire rope clamp 23 just below the hole 22 or in any other suitable manner. An eye 24 is provided encircling the wire rope 20 for the purpose of preventing the rope 20 from jumping out of the groove 12 if for any reason the wire rope slackens. The wire rope 20 extends downwardly and is secured by means of a wire rope socket 25 into a swivel 26 which is attached to the polish rod 6. The wire rope 20 being flex ible always assumes a position tangential to the groove 12, the bottom of which is on a radius centering at the pivot 2. This tangent is always coincident with the axis of the tubing 8 and the pull on the polish rod 6 is therefore always strictly vertical. To further secure the casting 10 to the beam 1 the construction illustrated in Fig. 5 or a similar construction may be employed. In this construction a projection 27 is pro vided on the casting being drawn into the wood of the beam as the bolts 14 are drawn down and thereby further securing the casting 10 to the beam 1. These projections may be provided in other locations than that shown, or additional bolts or pins may be provided for the same purpose.

It will be noted that the form of construction illustrated in Figs. 2, 3, 4:, and 5 may be readily applied to existing wells without change in the walking beam and without tlrnnecessity for mutilating the walking beam in any way so that the walking beam may be used for any purpose for which it is now adapted.

I am aware that the use of members having a grooved surface on the end of levers for the purpose of giving a straight line pull is old, but I do not believe that a removable attachment applicable to the existing forms of walking beams has been used prior to my invention thereof.

While I have shown the casting 10 secured to a polish rod 6 by means of a wire rope 20 it is evident that any equivalent mechanical means may be used in the place of the wire rope, such as a chain or a flexible tape.

In the operation of oil wells a walking beam is often used for other purposes than pumping the well, as for example, when it is used for agitating, or for actuating drilling or cleaning tools. It is obvious that my invention may be used for these purposes or that it may be removed and the standard apparatus attached to the walking beam if desired.

My invention therefore broadly consists of a walking beam attachment which may be placed on existing walking beams without in any way spoiling the beam for other uses. By its use a walking beam can be at once equipped without cutting or marl-ing the beam, and it can be readily detached so that the beam can be used without it if desired. This is very important as there are thousands of standard walking beams now in use, and the labor of changing them over to suit special forms of construction would be very great. Moreover an oil well operator who was at all skeptical as to value of the attachment would not permit the beam to be mutilated. My invention can be quickly applied to existing beams on trial with the assurance that if the operator does not like it he can readily take it off and resume pumping in the old manner.

I claim as my invention:

1. A walking beam attachment adapted to be mounted upon the end of a walking beam having an opening therein comprising a casting having a throat adapted to enter said opening, ears formed on said casting extending over the edge of the walking beam at the rear of said opening, a bar slidably mounted in said casting below said walking beam, bolts for clamping said bar against said walking beam, and a flexible member adapted to connect said casting to a polish rod to operate the same.

2. In combination with a walking beam having an opening therein, an attachment comprising a casting having a throat adapted to enter said opening, ears formed on said casting extending over the edge of the walking beam at the rear of said opening, a bar slidably mounted in said casting below said walking beam, bolts for clamping said bar against said walking beam, and a wire rope placed in a groove in said casting and securing means for said wire rope on said cast ing.

In combination with a walking beam adapted to operate a detachable head for said beam comprising a cuiwed outer portion having a groove therein on a radius centering at the pivotal point of said walk ing beam and in the axis of said polish rod, means for detachably securing said head to said beam to bring said groove within the end of the beam, a flexible rope in said groove having its upper end secured to the upper portion of said head, and means for securing the lower end of said rope to said polish rod.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set 'my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 30th day of March, 1914.

PHILO W. MASTEN. In presence of FRED A. MANSFIELD, FORD W. HANN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing; the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, ,D. 0. r 

